Nidya Baez could have pursued her education career anywhere, but she decided to stay at her East Oakland alma mater. Now, she’ll be taking over as principal in July.
Author Archives: Ashley McBride
Ashley McBride reports on education equity for The Oaklandside. She covered the 2019 Oakland Unified School District teachers’ strike as a breaking news reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. More recently, she was an education reporter for the San Antonio Express-News where she covered several local school districts, charter schools, and the community college system. McBride earned her master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University, has held positions at the Palm Beach Post and the Poynter Institute, and is a recent Hearst Journalism Fellow.
Posted inEducation Equity
Outrage greets OUSD board at first in-person meeting since school-closures vote
School board members show no sign of reversing course, despite ongoing community opposition and a new charge of racial discrimination by the ACLU.
Posted inEducation Equity
Meet the two candidates running for Alameda County superintendent
Incumbent L.K. Monroe and challenger Alysse Castro spoke to The Oaklandside about school funding, COVID recovery, and the financial challenges facing OUSD.
Posted inEducation Equity
What does Alameda County’s education office do for Oakland schools?
In the June primary, voters will choose between L.K. Monroe and Alysse Castro for county superintendent. Here’s a guide to understanding how the office works.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland parents fought to create La Escuelita. Now they’re fighting to save it
‘The little school,’ which grew out of a bilingual preschool, is getting smaller this year as part of OUSD’s school closure plan.
Posted inEducation Equity
OUSD will lease more space to charters, amid school-closure turmoil
Oakland Unified is legally required to offer its unused facilities to charter schools. But the new agreements were hotly contested at Wednesday’s school board meeting.
Posted inEducation Equity
What makes a ‘good school?’ Families share their reasons for choosing OUSD
While Oakland schools are seeing fewer students enroll each year, many families say the district has plenty to offer.
Posted inEducation Equity
Bishop O’Dowd chosen to pilot new African American studies course
The class, led by longtime Black history teacher Tony Green, will be one of 68 across the country.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland school closures: Parker K-8’s close-knit community
Families at Parker—a nearly century-old school in East Oakland—aren’t going quietly.
Posted inEducation Equity
OUSD will keep its mask mandate—for now
In two weeks, Oakland Unified School District may allow students to stop wearing masks outdoors. Plus: Officials presented a budget update at Wednesday’s school board meeting.
Posted inEducation Equity
School closures: Community Day serves Oakland’s most vulnerable students. Where will they go?
Educators at OUSD’s only alternative school for expelled students fear some may not be ready to transition out when the campus closes later this year.
Posted inEducation Equity
Why do so many families opt out of OUSD schools? It’s complicated
Thousands of children who live in Oakland don’t attend district schools. We spoke to four families about why they decided to leave.
Posted inEducation Equity
Frustrated by OUSD closures, student leaders turn their gaze to school board elections
Students are eager to respond to the school board’s recent decisions with their newly won voting power in November.
Posted inEducation Equity
Here’s what Oakland’s new district map means for OUSD schools
Several schools in districts 4, 5, 6 and 7 were moved. Impending school closures will also change the makeup of certain districts.
Posted inEducation Equity
OUSD board rejects plan to postpone school closures
The board’s decision may lead to more protests and hunger strikes, including from students.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland educators poised to end hunger strike over school closures
Andre San-Chez and Moses Omolade have gone 18 days without eating.
Posted inEducation Equity
OUSD board calls emergency meeting to discuss postponing school closures
The Oakland Unified school board will discuss a resolution on Friday to delay all closures and mergers until next year.
Posted inEducation Equity
Calls to stop OUSD closure plan grow
Opponents say the closures will impact Black and brown families disproportionately and are asking the board to delay the plan. Protests continue, and many are looking to the state for a solution.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland charters join chorus calling on California to change how it funds schools
With higher absence rates due to COVID, some school leaders say it’s time to stop tying attendance to funding.
Posted inEducation Equity
After Mills merges with Northeastern, some students’ majors will no longer exist
Some students chose the 170-year-old Oakland college for its unique degrees. Where do they go now?
